Appice tells The Rockpit: “We know those songs; we wrote those songs. We have a singer who sings his ass off with passion. He’s not trying to be Ronnie but he just really kicks it. It’s going really, really good. We’re going to do more next year.”

The band’s first show took place in California in August. Soon afterwards the story was spread that late vocalist Dio had been seen above the stage while his former bandmates played.

But Appice says: “That was just someone who was, let’s say, a little high-energy, a little over-enthusiastic. Come on – an apparition? Nothing like that happened.”

The ex-Black Sabbath drummer, who also played in offshoot band Heaven And Hell, didn’t get a call from Tony Iommi or Geezer Butler when Sabbath were looking to replace Bill Ward for 13, their first album with Ozzy Osbourne since the 1970s.

And Appice thinks that’s the way it should be. “I’m still in touch with Tony and Geezer, but they never offered anything, and I don’t ask,” he comments. “It’s understandable – we did Heaven And Hell for three or four years with Ronnie. Then Tony and Geezer are together and Ozzy comes in. He wouldn’t know what band he was in; he’d be a little confused.”

Appice is currently playing with Kill Devil Hill, also featuring former Pantera bassist Rex Brown.